


Summer's End

by TheBiFromUNCLE



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Comfort, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-27
Updated: 2020-08-27
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:15:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,004
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26140969
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheBiFromUNCLE/pseuds/TheBiFromUNCLE
Summary: Harry sneaks back in.
Relationships: Neville Longbottom/Harry Potter
Comments: 4
Kudos: 75





	Summer's End

**Author's Note:**

> Lockdown has broken me. This started as a joke and then became completely sincere. I absolutely do not support terfs.

“Morning Professor!”

Harry’s shoulders dropped and he stopped trying to tiptoe. He thought that if he got back early enough he would be able to sneak in unnoticed, but apparently it wasn’t to be. He followed the voice to the kitchen.

“Morning Professor”. Harry was caught between sounding suitably sheepish and trying to act as if creeping into the house at 5: 23 am was perfectly normal. Neville, leaning against the counter cupping a mug of tea, raised an eyebrow.

“Old habits die hard, I suppose?”. Neville always got lax with his shaving over the summer and now looked attractively unkempt with his stubble and rumpled pyjamas. Harry wondered if he was aware of what a romantic figure he cut, striding through the halls with his head bent over a book or wandering the edge of the lake with a dreamy, absent expression. The students certainly noticed, usually right around third year.

“Sorry”, Harry said. “That for me?”. He joined his husband at the counter.

“Why are we whispering?”, Neville asked, in a similarly hushed tone and passed him the mug.

“Because it’s early”. Neville knocked his shoulders against Harry’s.

“Yes, it is. Very early.  _ And  _ it’s summer. The last week of August in fact. Lie-ins are about to become a rare and precious commodity.”

“I know. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry, just don’t be secretive either. You promised to tell me if it was getting bad again.”

They leaned against each other and sipped their tea as the kitchen slowly filled with pale rosy light. Harry had wanted to live at the castle during term time but Neville had pleaded a very convincing case for renting a house in Hogsmeade. In a lot of ways their experiences at Hogwarts had been similar but there had also been stark differences that sometimes made Harry uncomfortable to think about.

_ I could have done more. I should have been a better friend. _

_ You were just a kid, and you had the weight of the world on your shoulders. _

_ So were you- _

_ And I wasn’t your responsibility. _

_ Well you are now. _

_ Twat. _

_ Love you too. _

The important thing was that they both came back, on their own, for their own reasons and eventually together. 

Through the window over the sink they could see the castel, silhouetted against the dawn. It was a nice view.

“Where’d you go?”

“Over the lake. Squid says hi”

“Hmm”.

Low and fast, skimming over the surface was still Harry's favourite way to fly, the dark water mirroring the night sky. Still and calm, he felt as if his worries emptied into the lake as he flew. 

“Go on, get us some biscuits”, Neville elbowed him gently. Harry pushed off the counter and crouched before the cupboard. Beside the biscuit tin was a corked glass bottle. A fluorescent pink sticky note was stuck to it. 

_ Draught of Dreamless Sleep,  _ in Neville's neat biro script. Neville had fallen in love with Muggle stationary and Hermione was forever sending him care packages. 

"Nev", Harry sighed. "I don't need to take anything."

"See, I'd believe you if this was the first time you've snuck out this week." 

Now Harry did look sheepish. 

"I'm not falling for that one again, how many times do you think it was?"

"Harry." 

"Ok, ok", Harry stood in front of Neville and leaned his forehead against his chest. He then mumbled something. 

Neville reached around to awkwardly take a sip of tea over Harry's head. 

"Try that one again?" 

"The Ministry sent another owl." 

Neville tsked. 

"Auror recruitment again?" 

Harry nodded miserably, which had the effect of nuzzling closer into Neville's chest. 

"Bastards". Neville stroked his back soothingly. 

"Why won't they leave me alone? I don't even want to be headmaster, but then I read those fucking letters and there's more I should be doing, I just-." 

"I know, I know", Neville twisted slightly to set his mug down on the counter and to hug Harry properly. He squeezed and kissed Harry's cheek. Harry squeezed back. They had both been tall and lanky by the end of seventh year but Neville had broadened considerably around the shoulders in the years since. He was nice to hold on to. 

"You gave them your life, your childhood. You don't owe them anything else."

Neville kissed his cheek again, then the other and then held Harry's face between his hands and kissed his lips. 

When they parted they smiled at each other. 

"Your morning breath is awful."

Harry scowled. 

"Git." He pushed at Neville's shoulder and then ruined the effect by kissing him again. 

"For what it's worth, I think you'd be a brilliant headmaster." 

Harry screwed up his nose like he smelled something unpleasant. 

"I don't think I'd be good as a disciplinarian. Or I'd get too obvious about my favourites. That's shit for morale."

Neville hummed in agreement. 

"Well, it's a long way off before anyone asks you. Heh, imagine if no one did? Imagine they asked Penelope? She'd make a great headmistress. And you'd feel like a right prick." 

Harry grinned. 

"Thank you dear heart, light of my life." 

Neville swatted at him affectionately. 

"You wanna go back to bed? We're expected at Hagrid' at eleven. He wants to show us how the frog pond is coming on. And Ginny's dropping in later." 

"Yeah, you mentioned she wrote." 

"She's bringing a girl, and apparently this one is serious." 

"Big day so." 

"Yeah, so bed." 

Harry grumbled and ran a hand through his hair. 

"Nah, I'm pretty much up for the day, I won't sleep. But I promise I'll take the lotion before bed tonight."

"Thank you." Neville pecked another kiss. "But I don't recall mentioning sleep."

Harry laughed and let his head fall against Neville's chest once more. He inhaled deeply and smelled lavender, herbs, dew on grass on a fresh summer morning. 

"Charmer."

"Mm-hmm, yep. Legendary smooth-talker, me." 

As Harry chuckled softly, he heard Neville inhale and wondered what he smelled like to him. 

He hoped he smelled like home. 


End file.
